Paris trip October 2012
Why?
Can you wonder that we are going away for a few days. I hear that they have a nice line of showers in Paris – not to mention perfume.
Thursday
Only 10 minutes late landing in CDG then 17 € for a bus to Gare de Lyon.
Bruno came around. After a big hello, he proudly showed us his urban garden on the way to his friend’s place just around another corner, turn left at this nice stick up. (see Liberty Leading the people )
Two North and two South Americans then entertained us with some jazz in the living room with real Parisians and a few temporary Parisians all lapping it up. After the final encore we lapped up some home made soup and some other delicacies and chatted to all and sundry. A super soirée for our first evening.
Friday
Baguette breakfast & then we walked towards the centre, admiring everything in sight. Gerhild admired this little something made from haute cuture remnants, so a birthday present was found.
Then we went to look at France’s new national library but we thought that the garden on the other side of the Seine was more fun.
Impressions (literally) of streets from around the world. Yes that is a manhole cover in the middle of Mu Nan, the Chinese girl. The colours have faded a bit but you can see the originals on Rachid Khimoune’s own web site.
Straight off the catwalk!
Interesting things to do with vegetables. (See link)
Interesting entrance to the metro. Treat your customer like a king! (Kiosque des noctambules)
Saturday
Today we went with Bruno to the Maison Europeene de LA PHOTOGRAPHIE
We saw work from Choi, Claude Nori and Alice Springs which you can see here, well 1 each anyway. No not that Alice Springs, the other one, Helmut Newton’s wife.
Someone told Gerhild to be quiet as she was making such a noise here, so we moved on to La Halle Saint Pierre to have a nice lunch and to see the Banditi dell’Arte exhibition with its collection of outsider art, which Bruno brought to life by translating the biographies for us.
Sunday
Vegetables like the doorman (Mitman by Fabrice Hyber) here were one of the highlights at the MAC/VAL, including this great film which you can see too if you follow the link.
Lunch included a few vegetables too although it was hard to see for wiping the tears of laughter away caused by Anusha our waitress, who tried to get us talking to the resident artists at the next table while we waited for the cook to cook something.
This cool cat didn’t mind the wait either.
This spongey specimen seems familiar …
This was interactive art. You fit a clean ear swab to the propellor in the headphones, put them on and move in front of the fan, et voilà, clean earhole!
Kim couldn’t resist a brioche here.
Monday
Today was a Tricolour day, the sky was bright blue, my nose was bright red and the tissues white which I dropped in bins all around Paris.
We walked around sightseeing, as it was such a beautiful day.
We were quiet as church mice, but right next to Beaubourg, I couldn’t see the point.
Gerhild’s birthday present is trés chique.
There are sights to see around every corner.
I wonder what music this Parisienne was dancing to?
Sacré Coeur by moonlight is worth the climb.
I couldn’t get this fellow’s tail to wag whatever I did …
Tuesday
Between packing and heading for the airport we went for a last look around the “Chinese wholesalers” quarter better known as the 3eme arondissement.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all – well not him, and that lion looks ready to pounce.
She has a much better chance.
Well, that’s the end of magical Paris for now. Back to the bathroom!